Local Stores, Big Deals

There's nothing that bugs us more than when one of our friends says, "Well, I wanted a deal on a dryer/refrigerator/stove so I bought it at (insert big box store here)."

News flash: Big box stores don't always have the best prices. Actually, as we've found with products other than laundry detergent and other staples, they rarely have the best prices. The selection, especially when you get up into the higher-end brands, is limited. And in our experience, the salespeople have no clue about the products you're trying to buy.

Which is why we always buy our appliances from Dunnett Inc. in Bangor. It all started when we bought our house seven years ago. It was what some might call a "handyman's special" and others might call a "disaster." Everything needed to go. Especially the appliances. Problem is, we were young and foolish and had no idea what we were doing, so we naturally headed to the Home Depot, then Best Buy, then Sears, then the nearest bar to drown our sorrows. The people we met (when we could actually track down people) were less than helpful, and the stuff we found was A) not what we were looking for and B) way more expensive than we anticipated.

Then we saw an ad for Dunnett's, which was selling the entire set of kitchen appliances we wanted — in brushed stainless — for a fraction of the cost of the larger retailers. When we arrived, someone greeted us and — gasp! — asked us if we needed help. We did. And the people there were extremely accommodating. We were so impressed that we bought the kitchen set and when our washing machine broke a few years ago, we returned for a Bosch washer. Two weeks ago, we bought the matching dryer, which has been discontinued, for half the original retail price. We found it in the "scratch and dent room," a magical place full of discontinued models and Viking stoves with imperceptible blemishes for ridiculously low prices. How's that for a deal?

Take that, big boxes.

We want to know all about your favorite local appliance or home-goods store in Maine (for example, The Maven's parents have long sworn by Vic's Appliance in Saco because of the great service). Tell us  by posting a comment below.

4 comments:

Kelly @ blackdog finds said...

We got all our appliances for our new house @ Dunnett's. They were super helpful and we got an amazing deal especially since we went with a couple 'scratch & dent' units from upstairs. Dunnett's is very liberal on what they consider a scratch or dent, most of the time the scratch or dent is hardly visible. Don't think you'll find too much of that at {insert big box name here}.

Mimi said...

My sister and bro-in-law got their stainless steel appliances at the Brewer Mardens -- along with their chic and modern living room furniture. There was a TINY dent in the side of the fridge that isn't seen in their kitchen due to a pantry. Great deals!

Unknown said...

Marden's is my first stop for anything, including appliances. Purchased my washer-dryer from there.

Tara Barker said...

Kelsey's Appliance Village in Rockport has always given us great customer service (and when you need a part special-ordered, it arrives practically immediately)!

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